Hawk Ridge - November 2020 Migration Update

 

Dear Hawk Ridge Friends,

Over 61,500 raptors of 17 species and still counting through the end of the month! Our October count, banding, and education summary reports are below, as well as upcoming events (note: two start tomorrow, Friday, November 13th - in case you missed previous notice). We had a nice break with some warm temps, before more rain & snow and still enjoying the Red-tailed Hawks, Bald & Golden Eagles, Northern Goshawks, and Rough-legged Hawks! Thanks for your support!

UPCOMING EVENTS

UMD Graduate Student Raptor Research Thesis Seminar

with Lisa Brouellette

Friday, November 13th 3pm CST

Click HERE for Zoom link

Lisa Brouellette will be presenting her raptor research "Using DNA metabarcoding to study the diet of raptors during migration" conducted in conjunction with Hawk Ridge virtually via Zoom https://z.umn.edu/scsefriday

While much research has gone into understanding the timing and patterns of migration, little has been done to understand the diet of raptors during migration. Understanding diet during the full life cycle has important implications for conservation, ecotoxicology, and land management. Lisa collected samples from raptors at Hawk Ridge in 2019. Attend her presentation to hear about her results!

Virtual Advanced Raptor Identification with Bill Clark

Friday, November 13th (Evening) & Saturday November 14th (Morning/Afternoon)

Have you ever wondered how our counters can identify raptors from far distances or in large numbers? Well now's your chance to learn some tricks and tips from the comfort of your home with raptor expert, Bill Clark (co-author of Peterson Guide to Hawks & Photographic Guide to North American Raptors). We are excited to have him join us virtually for an Advanced Raptor ID course. This workshop is sure to help bring you up a notch in your hawkwatching skills. Bill will provide an ID skill review and then go into details on challenging raptor ID in groups (accipiters, buteos, eagles, vagrants, and unusual plumages). The course will run Friday 6-8pm, Saturday 9-11am & 1-3pm with a minimum of 8 participants and maximum of 50.

COST: $120/person ($100 member)

REGISTRATION STILL OPEN by sending an email to mmenzies@hawkridge.org by no later than 2pm CST Friday, November 13th.

Raptor expert, Bill Clark, is a photographer, author, researcher, and lecturer and has over 5 decades experience working with birds of prey, including 5 years as Director of NWF's Raptor Information Center. He has published numerous articles on raptor subjects; has traveled extensively world-wide studying, observing, and photographing raptors; and regularly leads raptor and birding tours and workshops, both home and abroad. He is the co-author of the Peterson Guide to Hawks and Photographic Guide to North American Raptors, as well as author of field guides for Europe, Africa, and Central America.

Hawk Ridge Limited Edition 2020 Online Merchandise Campaign (2nd Campaign starts TODAY!)

We have 2 new fantastic designs we're excited to share with you! They're available in a wide variety of shirts and masks available online only for a limited time! The second campaign ends November 27th for shipping directly to you by mid-December. We've relaunched in case you missed our first and need some gift ideas for those on your holiday shopping list. All proceeds from sales go to support the bird conservation research and education efforts of Hawk Ridge!

Now is your chance to purchase limited edition "Corvid vs. Covid" merchandise (shirts & masks), while supporting 2 good causes (Hawk Ridge research & education and to help protect yourself/others from Covid)! Local artist and former Hawk Ridge Owl Bander, Annmarie Geniusz, is well known for her fun, creative spin on creatures of all kinds and created this one-of-a-kind design for Hawk Ridge!

Commemorate the record-breaking Rough-legged Hawk count at Hawk Ridge fall of 2020 with limited edition "2020 - A Rough Year" merchandise (shirts & masks). We all know 2020 has been a "Rough" year! This beautiful photo of a Rough-legged Hawk was taken by Jason Heinen, Hawk Ridge Naturalist.

Click HERE to get to our online store!

Thanks for your support and don't miss out!

Give to the Max for Hawk Ridge!

Thursday, November 19th (Early Giving happening NOW - help us WIN the $10,000 Golden Ticket!)

Each year, generous supporters like you celebrate Give to the Max Day by making your online donation on GiveMN.org. Your generosity on this day makes a difference far beyond the 24-hour giving event. Please consider making a donation on Thursday, November 19, 2020 or during the early giving period which started Nov. 1st. Drawings will be held during the early giving period and many more opportunities to grow your gift on Give to the Max Day.

Your gift of $10 or more could instantly turn into an extra $500, $1,000 or even $10,000 for us! The more gifts we generate on GiveMN.org during Give to the Max Day, the more our chances increase to receive those additional prizes. Imagine what we could do with $10,000! Our goal is to raise $5000 and you can help us reach it! Be sure to mark your calendar and make your gift on November 19 (or earlier!) by visiting GiveMN.org and searching for "Hawk Ridge Bird Observatory" or by simply clicking HERE to Give to the Max in support of Hawk Ridge!

OCTOBER 2020 MIGRATION SUMMARIES

Below you'll find the October summary reports and highlights from our bird migration count staff, bird banding research staff, and education staff. If you missed the September 2020 summary reports, you can click HERE to find those and previous newsletters on our blog.

October Count Summary and Highlights

October came and went in a flash! When this happens it is usually because you are busy with birds. With little in the way of precipitation (we are down 10 inches of rain this year), there were only 3 days with no counting. The start of the month was more like September with mild, warm temperatures (and an exciting Short-eared Owl sighting  on October 2nd!). One day we even logged 81F! Favorable winds allowed the birds to move not all at once, but more steady with most days seeing good numbers. The end of the month was in stark contrast to the beginning. A record 12 inches of snow and days with wind-chill temps in the single digits made it somewhat sobering and uncomfortable for the count staff, but we pushed through!

The bulk of the TURKEY VULTURES came on the 1st with a daily high record of 854 individuals, pushing the season total up to an impressive 2,320. OSPREY have been in short supply this year with only 1 single bird on the 2nd putting the likely season total at a paltry 144. What is happening to the Osprey population? This represents the lowest season total since 1986. We did not see any big BALD EAGLE days this October, as we often do. It was more of a steady trickle with the biggest day of 164 on the 10th. The BALD EAGLE population seems to be continually doing well with over 4,200 counted through the end of October and November still to be accounted for. NORTHERN HARRIER numbers appear to be low, with the lowest season total since 2004. With only 287 individuals this fall did we miss them going on a different migration route? Wind direction was generally favorable, so one can only guess.

We had some good SHARP-SHINNED HAWK days with the high coming on the 9th with 885. With the current season standing at 13,572 we are far below the post 22,000 years of 2016-17. Perhaps it was not a successful breeding season for this species? COOPER’S HAWK numbers have continued to decline over the past few years. This species is at the northern limits of it breeding range and only 52 have been counted so far. NORTHERN GOSHAWK, typically a late season migrant, are still at historically low numbers compared to the big numbers of the 90s’ and early 2000s’. There were some good days in late October with 18 counted on the 24th.

After a good September count of BROAD-WINGED HAWKS, October saw a few late stragglers. The last individual (a juvenile) came through on the 20th, 18 days since the last three on the 2nd! On the whole, an above average season with 32,919 birds. Where are the RED-TAILED HAWKS one might ask!? Don’t ask me I would respond. By October’s end only 4,501 have been tallied, which is surprising given the ideal conditions later in the month. The best day was 849 on the 24th and numbers have continually declined as October past. A late push for November?

One of the highlights for October and the season as a whole has been the incredible numbers of ROUGH-LEGGED HAWKS. 2020 has been a rough year all-round, but this is the kind of ‘rough’ you want if you are going to have one. An all time record (and still with November to go) of 1,462 is just incredible, and if that was not enough the North American one-day total of 525 was smashed to smithereens on the 23rd with 583. A truly memorable day to remember for sure and what made the day on top of all that was the counters talking to Jerry Liguori (the previous record-setter) on the phone with Frank Nicoletti from his home in Utah. What a day!!

SWAINSON’S HAWK numbers for HRBO were about what we would expect with a couple of late individuals counted in October putting the season total at 7. All 7 dark/intermediate morphs likely from the NW of the continent. GOLDEN EAGLE numbers are steady with a high of 30 on the 23rd. 137 for the month, and 150 season total should (with November) put us about average. The ‘golden’ highlight was Abbie Valine catching and banding the first GOLDEN EAGLE at HRBO since 2012! Way to go and truly gorgeous bird.

AMERICAN KESTRELS, and MERLINS trickled through with both species logging in with 73 individuals. AMERICAN KESTREL numbers appear to be continually in decline unfortunately. 2002 saw 3,637 and in contrast we are only at 700 for the season. However, thanks to the count trainees, Maggie & Emma, we did have an American Kestrel and Broad-winged Hawk show up on October 31st! Finally, PEREGRINE FALCON numbers are down also despite their continued decade long recovery. This species can migrate at night and is best seen with southerly winds, which we had very few, so I would not initially read too much into this season's numbers.

After last year's dismal showing of winter finches, we are back to something far more interesting. COMMON REDPOLL (979), PINE SISKIN (11,523), PINE GROSBEAK (541), and both RED CROSSBILL (424) & WHITE-WINGED CROSSBILL (2,233) have all been present. There is still a whole month of counting left and this amazing season shows no sign of slowing down!

Eyes to the skies everybody!

-John Richardson, Fall Count Director

October Banding Summary and Highlights

Nearly 4,000 raptors banded through the end of October. October was surprising slow especially for Northern Harriers, Sharp-shinned Hawks, and Cooper's Hawks. However, this was certainly made up for with the record breaking flight of Rough-legged Hawks. Also exciting was catching good numbers of Northern Goshawks, especially SY (second-year) birds. The major highlight though was catching the first Golden Eagle since 2012. November is off to a good start and a full banding summary report will be shared in December. Thanks to all our supporters and the hard-working banding crew!

Here are our season numbers for banded raptors through 10/31.

Northern Harrier-25
Sharp-shinned Hawk -1844
Cooper's Hawk -23
Northern Goshawk-52
Broad-winged Hawk -7
Red-shouldered Hawk -1
Red-tailed Hawk -74
Rough-legged Hawk -63
Golden Eagle -1
American Kestrel - 36
Merlin - 93
Peregrine Falcon- 5
TOTAL 2224

Northern Saw-whet Owl - 1586
Long-eared Owl- 159
Great Horned Owl- 39
Barred Owl- 15
Eastern Screech Owl- 1
TOTAL OWLS-1764

Total Raptors Banded as of 10/31 = 3,988

-Frank Nicoletti, Banding Director

Fall Education & Visitor Services Summary

It was a beautiful fall at Hawk Ridge this year and we were grateful to be able to provide count interpretation and some education programming and visitor services. There were only 3 days in each of September and October where we were weathered out compared to last year with many wet and soggy days with southerly winds. However, we also saw an unprecedented amount of snow in mid to late October- way too early for that kind of weather! Despite the cold, there were some great days in there for teaching about amazing numbers of Eagles, Red-tailed and Rough-legged Hawks! It was especially great to have our new count board up featuring not only hourly and daily bird migration number updates, but also information about seasonal averages and high counts (especially since several of those records were broken this year)!

Thanks to all who came out for a very different year this fall at Hawk Ridge! The Covid threat had us revising our standard practices, putting out extra health & safety signage, and scaling everything back. Even so, we were able to safely offer 18 formal educational programs for a total of about 200 participants. This of course is a small fraction of our normal numbers. Thanks to our wonderful education/visitor services team and our intrepid volunteers that were available on the fly to help at times (thanks Ralph, John, Dave, Gail, Sarah, and Harry - you are amazing)!

P.S. Be on the lookout for more virtual education programs trough the winter months. We are looking forward to the Advanced Hawk Identification Workshop on November 13th, and 14th, with Bill Clark, a virtual presentation for the Duluth Maritime Museum, 11:30 am, November 19th, and several others pending! In fact, if you know of a group that might enjoy a virtual program, let us know, we’d be glad to work with you to set something up! Hope to see you in the Spring!

-Margie Menzies, Education Director

WAYS OF GIVING

Hawk Ridge thanks each of you for believing in and supporting the work we do for the protection of birds. Every gift is much appreciated!

Charitable Giving Options

Charitable Giving Incentives Under the the CARES Act (Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security Act) passed in March, which means there are increased tax incentives for charitable giving. If you itemize your taxes, the AGI (Adjusted Gross Income) limit for charitable cash contributions has increased from 60 percent to 100 percent deducted. IRA Qualified Charitable Distributions can also be applied. If you don't itemize your taxes, the CARES Act allows for an additional "above the line" deduction for up to $300 for cash gifts made to charities, like Hawk Ridge Bird Observatory. Donors should consult with their tax/legal advisor for questions on charitable giving incentives. Please contact Executive Director, Janelle Long, if you have questions on gifts of stock or other securities. 

Become A Member Today!

If you're already a member of Hawk Ridge, we sincerely appreciate your support! THANK YOU! If you're not a member and have enjoyed your experience with Hawk Ridge, we invite you to renew or join as a Hawk Ridge member today! Our memberships and donations help drive our bird conservation research and education programs. You can check out our exciting membership benefits and join or renew online HERE! Please click HERE to read the 2019 annual highlights and see how your support is helping us make a difference! Thank you!

Support Hawk Ridge by Shopping!

If you missed out on one of our fun shirt designs from a past season at our merchandise trailer, you might be in luck. You can order some of our past designs like this adorable Northern Saw-whet Owl by Alexa Carson and it's shipped directly to you! Order online HERE!

Two more simple ways to raise money for Hawk Ridge are by using charitable online shopping options. 1) You can shop online at your favorite stores through GoodShop and Hawk Ridge earns cash back! 2) If you like to shop on Amazon, you can add Hawk Ridge as your charity you support via Amazon Smile and Hawk Ridge Bird Observatory receives a donation of 0.5% of eligible purchases!

Simply Donate

You can always simply donate online by clicking HERE or by mailing a check made out to Hawk Ridge Bird Observatory, P.O. Box 3006, Duluth, MN 55803

P.S. If you missed any of our recent previous newsletters, you can find them HERE.

Thanks again for your support!

Sincerely,

Janelle Long

Executive Director

Hawk Ridge Bird Observatory

Hawk Ridge Bird Observatory

P.O. Box 3006

Duluth, MN 55803-3006 

218-428-6209 

mail@hawkridge.org

hawkridge.org

Join us on Facebook and Instagram

Hawk Ridge Bird Observatory is a 501(c)3 nonprofit organization with mission to protect birds of prey and other migratory birds in the Western Lake Superior Region through research, education, and stewardship.